The 73rd Hunger Games
by ParadiseWenCat
Summary: This is the 73rd Hunger Games, everyone! Featuring new characters: Carlo and Cassian! More coming on the way!
1. Chapter 1

The 73rd Hunger Games

Chapter One- Carlo and Cassian

This is the 73rd Hunger Games, right before the popular 74th.

I sighed. School is so boring nowadays and and my brother and I are slowly starving to death. My brother, Cassian, looks like a ghost, with his sunken cheeks and bony face. His olive coloured hair and electric green eyes, like , me was inherited from our parents. Cassian hsd a long and slender body, it is no wonder he is skilled at fighting and jumping. My parents, both of them, died in District 11, where they were working as farmers, who spent all day picking at wheat until their backs were literally in an upside-down U shape. Now Cassian and I live with our kindly peacemaker uncle, Marcella, in District 12 , otherwise known as Marc to us.

Marcella had told us that our parents died because of a back infection, where their spine would just CRACK when they were halfway picking at the wheat. Then, their spineless bodies would just fall to the ground and decay. There were often incidents like this in District 11 where even children would die of.

Adding to the continuous hunger of my family and school, Marc's always going away and spending more than half of the money he earns on Greasy Sae's (the woman selling soup at the Hob, District 12's black market) soup of the day. Marc will stay at Greasy Sae's from four in the afternoon until the next morning at about three. That results in Cassian and I putting ourselves to sleep after schoolwork with starving bellies and Marc with a plump round one filled with all kinds of meat.

That was the problem with Marc! Even though the peacekeeper of District 12 (Marc)love us dearly, he spends so much time away from us, we rarely get to eat dinner or breakfast.

We have plenty of school supplies and we're higher classed than most District 12 children, although we only feast on school lunches daily at twelve o'clock. As I said earlier, we don't even get to eat breakfast or dinner.

I hate school. The teachers are so strict, smacking anyone who even breathed noisily. The food in the cafeteria is disgusting and sloppy but we are driven by hunger to eat the cardboard mush. The local school in District 12 (the only one, of course) is a tiny speck of dust next to President Snow's mansion. The school is a blackened building cramped with children chattering noisily everyday. Most of the walls are covered with moss and decorated with leaking and spewing holes of sewer water. This is nicknamed 'The Leak' by the students. Everytime 'The Leak' comes everyone would start screaming and the total Capitol supporter, 5 year-old Spurius MacMillian, would sing the Capitol anthem and shout 'May the odds be ever in your favour!'.

Since the school is located in the richer part of District 12 (still very poor, by Capitol standards) it's only a five minute walk everyday for Cassian and I from our house.

The best time I had in school was when a girl with olive hair and olive eyes (who was younger than me) sang so fluently like an angel lit up the hall during the school assembly, leaving my mouth gaping open, mesmerized by her magical voice.

Anyway, after school, Cassian starts talking about the Hunger Games. Suddenly, tortured screams echo in my mind. Tomorrow is the Reaping and everyone will be gathered in the square, awaiting Effie Trinket, each year's name selector, to pick the two unlucky male and female tribute.

"Cassian," I suddenly say, I grip his hand until his bony hand turns white, "Promise me, if I ever get picked, don't volunteer for me."

"I promise, Carlo. I swear it on my life." He stares at me intently.

I stop being creepy and serious. My grip relaxes. So I decide to tell him what to do in the future, "Listen, Cassian. I don't think I'll get picked... so we have to do something with our lives, don't we?"

"Carlo, what are you talking about? You want to rebel?" His voice trails off.

"No...but I might consider..." I snicker, "Ok, but if I really get chosen, YOU STOP STARVING. Hunt. Get food."

Cassian looks at me with innocent green eyes. He is too young to die. "How am I supposed to...survive without you, Carlo?I m-mean, how?"

I bring Cassian close to me and comfort him, "Don't worry…You are amazing at combat and your long spindly legs can leap over anything. Survive on rabbit meat, berries…"

"I've seen two people my age do it before," Carlo confesses, after all he's only fifteen, anyway.

"Gale Hawthorne and Katniss Everdeen," we both whisper in unison.

"Yeah, I've seen them too. Katniss was the one who sang in the assembly." I tell Carlo.

The rest of the walk is an awkward silence. Both of us put ourselves to sleep after doing our school homework; Marc isn't home yet. There isn't any school tomorrow, because it is the Reaping.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- The Reaping

Marc, today, is up early and gone in the early hours of dawn; he has to get ready the Square and start doing his duty.

"Cassian, wake up! Marc is gone. Today's the Reaping…" I whisper as I crawl on to Cassian's partially-lumpy bed.

"The R-reaping?" Cassian croaks.

"Yes, Cassian! We have to get ready as fast as,"

Cassian interrupts me, "a Capitol bullet train," he says shrilly in Effie Trinket's Capitol accent.

Both of us share a laugh and find four pieces of stale bread left on the table for us. Cassian and I chow down the bread hungrily.

"You know why I like Reaping Day?" I ask Cassian, greedily munching my leftover crumbs.

"Mmmmf."

"Marc always gives us breakfast!"

"Exactly," Cassian replies.

I think he sounds a little too upbeat today.

"Time to get washed and changed. Dress your best."

Both of us make our ways to our bedrooms. As I did mention earlier, we are rich, by District 12 standards! After I get showered (my shower is just a trickling hose, supplying a meagre amount of water. Cassian's is the same) I dress in my spotless white blue dress, decorated with fading wisps of blue and green. It's so beautiful that all I can do is gawp at it. Every year, Markus gets us new clothes, fresh from the Capitol.

When I get to the Square, Cassian is already in the boys section. I fear the part during the Reaping when they have to take my blood sample.

I start shivering when it is my turn. A stern, stiff Peacekeeper sits at the flimsy table and beckons at me to bring out my finger.

"I c-cant…" I say, I'm literally paralysed. I can't even move a finger.

The Peacekeeper grunts and grabs my finger-I lurch forward- and takes a contraption within a few seconds and jabs my finger; pressing it down to the paper. It's over. I survived.

"Thank you."

My hair, tied in a glossy ponytail, captures the light beautifully. Over at the boys' section, Cassan is dressed smartly in a pale blue checkered shirt, ironed-grey pants and his usually messy olive hair is parted-neatly with water.

"You won't get picked. Neither will I." I mouth to Cassian.

He acknowledges it. Although I swear I saw him smile.

The Square is so neat it seems like everyone is rooted to the ground. Official looking lights which are _much_ taller than Cassian are placed at every corner of the Square. A giant screen is now being placed by five Capitol TV crew.

The wooden stage has a microphone on it, and several velvet-draped chairs are placed infront of the Justice Building which bears the Capitol Symbol.

"What a fine day, it is. Good day to all the citizens of District Twelve…" Effie Trinket says cheerfully as she 'click clack's her way on to the stage.

Effie Trinket is dressed in an extremely tight-looking dress decorated exquisitely and expensively with gems and different fabrics. She looks like a fashion disaster. Her hair is outrageously styled; let's just say it looks like a blood red candyfloss wrapped in floral lace. She seems to be Barbie Number…there are so many Barbies I don't even know how many there are…um…infinity, with her makeup, perfectionist nails and her insanely-high heels.

An applause follows Effie's arrival on the stage.

"And Happy 73rd Hunger Games!" she hollers, and throws her heavily-perfumed hands in the air, "Time for our wonderful yearly clip, which I am sure all of you enjoy."

Effie's hand gestures at the huge screen; it suddenly flickers to life. Then, I begin thinking.

How does Effie Trinket's head hold all of that mammoth hair? How does she walk in those heels? Won't her eyelashes fall off one day because of the weight of all the makeup?

"The Capitol," a dull yet manly voice booms as pictures of President Snow relaxing in his mansion appears, "where President Snow is in power of ruling Panem."

The image shifts to rebels of various districts, armed with furniture, hoes, pickaxes, tridents and whatever there were in districts, fighting against Peacekeeper. The rebels are no match for the Peacekeepers, with their electric tazers, pistols and magnificent machetes.

"This video reminds us of the districts in the Dark Days, where all districts rebelling against the Capitol were defeated, and District 13 was destroyed for good." The deep voice commentates.

BOOM! The sound effects of the of the video are so realistic; a bomb heading to District 13 is shown, and all the buildings are instantly smashed into smithereens.

"As a reminder of that fateful year, that the Capitol will always be in power, each year, a boy and girl tribute from each district will be reaped; becoming one of the twenty four tributes to fight to death in the arena."

The video ends and we clap.

"Now for the girl and boy tributes of District 12…as usual, ladies first."

I, Carlo, have entered my name and extra two tomes so that Cassian and I will be able to go to bed with full bellies on each of our birthdays. I daren't enter my name too many times for tesserae because if I get picked, my odds of winning are one to twenty-four. Besides, the only things I'm good at are hiding and scavenging for food!

Effie Trinket's ruby-red nails elegantly touch each piece of paper in the glass-is it crystal?- bowl.

"There are a lot of names this year," Effie says in her silly Capitol accent.

_Just get on with it!_ I shriek in my mind, _I don't have all the time in the world!_

Cassian stares at me grimly with his green eyes.

I won't get chosen, right? After all, my name's only on three of those slips.

Effie Trinket finally picks a slip, holding it delicately in her superficial han.

The name on the slip was…

Wait. Let me reassure myself.

Probably Katniss Everdeen (she entered her name 102 times) or Ryan Dottely (98).

Ok. Now I'm reassured.

But what if I get chosen?

Be quiet. Be quiet.

The name on the slip was…

"R-" Please let it be Ryan. Ryan. Ryan.

Be quiet.


End file.
